61st Venice Biennale Arte 2026 Guide: Koyo Kouoh's 'In Minor Keys' and Beyond
The 61st International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia, titled 'In Minor Keys' and curated by Koyo Kouoh, will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days set for May 6–8. This main exhibition showcases 110 artists, focusing on emotional depth and subtlety. Notable themes include 'Shrines' dedicated to Issa Samb and Beverly Buchanan, 'processions,' and 'Schools' featuring RAW Material Company and blaxTARLINES KUMASI. Artists like Nick Cave, Ebony G. Patterson, and Torkwase Dyson are among the participants. The scenography, designed by Wolff Architects, incorporates indigo banners. Additional exhibitions include Chiara Camoni's 'Con te con tutto' and Yto Barrada's 'Comme Saturne.' Recommended accommodations are Hotel Cipriani and The Gritti Palace.
Key facts
- 61st Venice Biennale runs May 9–November 22, 2026
- Curator Koyo Kouoh titled the central exhibition 'In Minor Keys'
- 110 participants at Giardini and Arsenale
- Italian Pavilion features Chiara Camoni, sponsored by Zegna
- French Pavilion features Yto Barrada, curated by Myriam Ben Salah
- Fondazione Dries Van Noten presents over 200 works at Palazzo Pisani Moretta
- Lu Yang's 'DOKU The Illusion' at Espace Louis Vuitton Venezia
- 'Strange Rules' at Palazzo Diedo by Berggruen Arts & Culture
- Michael Armitage exhibition at Pinault Collection – Palazzo Grassi
- Lorna Simpson exhibition at Pinault Collection – Punta della Dogana
Entities
Artists
- Koyo Kouoh
- Issa Samb
- Beverly Buchanan
- Nick Cave
- Ebony G. Patterson
- Daniel Lind-Ramos
- Alvaro Barrington
- Torkwase Dyson
- Chiara Camoni
- Yto Barrada
- Dries Van Noten
- Lu Yang
- Mat Dryhurst
- Holly Herndon
- Hans Ulrich Obrist
- Michael Armitage
- Lorna Simpson
- Cecilia Canziani
- Myriam Ben Salah
- Geert Bruloot
- Claire Staebler
- Adriana Rispoli
- Tadao Ando
- Max Alajmo
- Roberto Ienna
- Giuseppe Cipriani
- Laurie Anderson
- Marcel Duchamp
- Wangechi Mutu
- Walid Raad
- Pio Abad
- Philip Aguirre y Otegui
- Akinbode Akinbiyi
- Fabrice Aragno
- Nancy Brooks Brody
- Joy Episalla
- Zoe Leonard
- Carrie Yamaoka
- Jo-ey Tang
- Kader Attia
- Sammy Baloji
- Ranti Bam
- Éric Baudelaire
- Sabian Baumann
- Seyni Awa Camara
- Carolina Caycedo
- Annalee Davis
- BuBu de la Madeleine
- Dawn DeDeaux
- Nolan Oswald Dennis
- Bonnie Devine
- Godfried Donkor
- Edouard Duval-Carrié
- rana elnemr
- Theo Eshetu
- Rachel Fallon
- Alice Maher
- Sofía Gallisá Muriente
- Adebunmi Gbadebo
- Leonilda González
- Linda Goode Bryant
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
- Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka
- Ayrson Heráclito
- Clarissa Herbst
- Dominique Rust
- Nicholas Hlobo
- Carsten Höller
- Sohrab Hura
- Alfredo Jaar
- Mohammed Joha
- Michael Joo
- Nina Katchadourian
- Bodys Isek Kingelez
- Sandra Knecht
- Marcia Kure
- Natalia Lassalle-Morillo
- Gloria Morillo
- Florence Lazar
- Dan Lie
- Werewere Liking
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
- Kamaal Malak
- Senzeni Marasela
- Guadalupe Maravilla
- Manuel Mathieu
- Georgina Maxim
- Tiona Nekkia McClodden
- Big Chief Demond Melancon
- Avi Mograbi
- Eustaquio Neves
- Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn
- Tammy Nguyen
- Otobong Nkanga
- Kaloki Nyamai
- Temitayo Ogunbiyi
- Pauline Oliveros
- Kambui Olujimi
- Hagar Ophir
- Uriel Orlow
- Rajni Perera
- Marigold Santos
- Thania Petersen
- Alan Phelan
- Johannes Phokela
- Léonard Pongo
- Gala Porras-Kim
- Mohammed Z. Rahman
- Tabita Rezaire
- Guadalupe Rosales
- Yo-E Ryou
- Khaled Sabsabi
- Rose Salane
- Amina Saoudi Aït Khay
- Carrie Schneider
- Hala Schoukair
- Berni Searle
- Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi
- Wardha Shabbir
- Yoshiko Shimada
- Himali Singh Soin
- David Soin Tappeser
- Buhlebezwe Siwani
- Cauleen Smith
- Vera Tamari
- Tsai Ming-liang
- Victoria-Idongesit Udondian
- Celia Vásquez Yui
- Kemang Wa Lehulere
- Kennedy Yanko
- Raed Yassin
- Sawangwongse Yawnghwe
- Billie Zangewa
- Tandazani Dhlakama
- Adrienne Edwards
- Stefanie Hessler
- Miguel A. López
- Hélio Menezes
- Wanda Nanibush
- Oluremi C. Onabanjo
- Françoise Vergès
- Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo
- Marie Hélène Pereira
- Rasha Salti
- Siddhartha Mitter
- Rory Tsapayi
- Alex Sonderegger
- Toni Morrison
- Gabriel García Márquez
- fierce pussy
- Tanka Fonta
- Melvin Edwards
- Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi
- Nnena Kalu
- Michael Dagostino
- Joey-Tang
- Sofía Galisá Muriente
- María Magdalena Campos-Pons
- Amina Saoudi Ait Khay
- Mmakgabo Mmampula Helen Sebidi
- Giorgio Celiberti Jr.
- Omar Galliani
- Maurizio Cervellati
- Andrea Rossi Andrea
- Toni Zancaro
- Genti Korini
- Matías Duville
- Zadik Zadikian
- Florentina Holzinger
- Faig Ahmed
- John Beadle
- Lavar Munroe
- Miet Warlop
- Mladen Bundalo
- Rosana Paulino
- Adriana Varejão
- Gery Georgieva
- Maria Nalbantova
- Rayna Teneva
- Veneta Androva
- Abbas Akhavan
- Norton Maza
- Marina Xenofontos
- Maja Malou Lyse
- Óscar Santillán
- J. Oscar Molina
- Armen Agop
- Fernando Nguema Madja
- Modest Gené Roig
- Merike Estna
- Tegene Kunbi
- Jenna Sutela
- Henrike Naumann
- Sung Tieu
- Lubaina Himid
- Andreas Angelidakis
- John Ravenal
- Robert Lazzarini
- Alma Allen
- Jeffrey Usli
- Jean-Luc Godard
Institutions
- La Biennale di Venezia
- RAW Material Company
- blaxTARLINES KUMASI
- Wolff Architects
- Zegna
- Fondazione Dries Van Noten
- Espace Louis Vuitton Venezia
- Berggruen Arts & Culture
- Pinault Collection
- Palazzo Grassi
- Punta della Dogana
- Bottega Veneta
- Hotel Cipriani
- Belmond Hotel
- The Gritti Palace
- Marriott
- Harry's Bar
- Cipriani
- Le Cementine
- Whitewall
- Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation
- Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI)
- lugar a dudas
- Denniston Hill
- Laboratoire Agit’Art
- Contemporary And (C&)
- Laboratoire Agit'Art
- Venice Biennale
- Creative Australia
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- ArtAsiaPacific
- fierce pussy
- G.A.S. Foundation
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Applied Arts Pavilion
- Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (Albania)
- Directorate for Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship (Argentina)
- The Arts and Culture Division of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport Republic of Austria
- National Gallery of Canada
- Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art (MAAC)
- Egyptian Ministry of Culture – Accademia d’Egitto A Roma
- Frame Contemporary Art Finland
- Institut français
- ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen
- British Council
- Designboom
- U.S. Department of State
- National Endowment for the Arts
- Anga - Art Not Genocide Alliance
- Giardini della Biennale
- Arsenale di Venezia
- Andrew Edlin Gallery
- Pina Magazine
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Giardini
- Arsenale
- Palazzo Pisani Moretta
- San Polo
- Calle del Ridotto
- Palazzo Diedo
- Fondamenta Trapolin
- Campo San Samuele
- Dorsoduro
- Giudecca
- San Marco
- Roncade Treviso
- Venice lagoon
- Senegal
- Nigeria
- Kenya
- Ghana
- Colombia
- United States
- Dakar
- Timbuktu
- Cape Town
- South Africa
- Sydney
- Australia
- London
- United Kingdom
- Salvador
- San Juan
- Beirut
- Paris
- Nashville
- Republic of Guinea
- Equatorial Guinea
- Nauru
- Qatar
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Vietnam
- Mestre
- Forte Marghera
- Venice mainland
- Albania
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Great Britain
- Greece
- Guinea
- San Trovaso Art Space, Dorsoduro
- Palazzo Malipiero, San Marco
- Fondamenta Case Nuove 2738/C, Castello – Tesa 41, Arsenale Militare
- Campo della Tana, Castello
- Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli, Zattere
- Associazione Culturale Spiazzi, Castello
- Palazzo Mora, Cannaregio
- Palazzo Donà dalle Rose, Cannaregio
- Patronato Salesiano Leone XIII, Castello
- Palazzo Bollani, Castello
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Israel
- Palestine
- Africa
- Giardini della Biennale
- Arsenale di Venezia
- Cameroon
- Switzerland